The Justification of Cruelty
by Loyal Eskamoe
Summary: In which an act of impressive cruelty is perpetrated without remorse. And Captain Janeway wonders if the ends don't justify the means, do the means invalidate the ends? "I didn't join Starfleet to be a bully." "No, but you're the captain. And that sometimes means having to do things you're not proud of."


"Are you certain, Calamet?" This was too good to be true!

And young Calamet knew exactly how extraordinary this news was. His pigmentation was the fervent orange of excitement. "Yes, I am."

Doctor Melana stared hard at the data her young protege presented. A warp capable species, nothing impressive there, but they themselves were exactly what was needed!

"What a precious moment, Calamet. We may have saved ourselves. God's will is done this day."

Calamet went blue with pride. "And that's not all. Please draw your attention to this bit of data."

That was impossible! "Borg signals? But this isn't one of their vessels!" The doctor's careful control lapsed momentarily as her complexion burst into a violent green of surprise. What terrible news! How could they fulfill their holy duty now? She saw Calamet's smug coloration. There was more.

As he elaborated, Dr Melana could tell her apprentice was happy to be the one explaining things for once. "These creatures appear to have incorporated some Borg technology into their ship's systems. I didn't understand how until I discovered this!"

"Yes, I see. Fascinating, But how does this help?"

Calamet presented his proposal.

Once she'd read it, Dr Melana was as excited as he.

* * *

"Captain's Log: Stardate 51248.3"

"Voyager has been traversing a sector of space called the Co'Demian Expanse. According to Neelix's research, this expanse has a history of ships going missing and other odd phenomena. It has a very poor reputation among the people of this region. Except for the traders, most who live outside of the expanse give it a wide berth. They've recommended I do the same. Lt Paris has likened it to an ancient Earth legend called the Bermuda Triangle. But I'm not about to add nearly a year to our journey by going around it simply because of a superstition. Not when going through would only take two months. Still, all legends have a basis in fact. With that in mind, I've ordered we remain on the established trade routes and for full sensor sweeps to be completed every two hours until we've made it across."

Ensign Harry Kim sighed audibly as he began a third and final sensor sweep for his duty shift in ops.

"Is there a problem, Mr Kim?" Lt Cmdr Tuvok asked from his security station.

Harry blushed. "Uh, no sir. It's just a little tedious. That's all."

"If you are dissatisfied with your duties, Ensign, I can assign a more challenging task."

"No, sir! I'm very satisfied."

Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you that Mr Neelix has arranged to trade these sensor logs for a significant supply of deuterium?"

"Yes, sir. I mean, no sir! I mean, you don't have to remind me, sir."

Chakotay, Voyager's first officer, decided to take pity on the hapless Harry Kim. With a grin, he called to Lt Tom Paris, the helmsman. "What do you think, Tom?"

"About what, Commander," the young man asked from helm control.

"About whether or not our head of security could use a bit more of a challenge himself if Harry's little lapse in protocol is bothering him so much?"

Tom swiveled in his chair to smirk at the stoic Vulcan. "I do believe you're right, Chakotay. If it were up to me, I'd sign him up for galley duty with Neelix. Maybe Tuvok can finally teach him how to make a passable plomek soup?"

Tuvok did not care for that scenario at all. "Fortunately, Mr Paris, it is not up to you."

Chakotay put on his most serious expression. "But it is up to me, Commander. And I think it sounds like a good idea."

As a Vulcan, it was impossible for Tuvok to react to so unwelcome a statement, but his colleagues did notice a stiffening in his posture.

Chakotay let out a laugh. "Don't worry, Tuvok. I've had your cooking. I wouldn't do that to the crew."

Tuvok blinked in indignation. "I remind you, Commander, that I was undercover in your Maquis cell on that occasion. I assure you, with sufficient ingredients, you would find Vulcan cuisine quite satisfactory."

Tom and Harry stared at each other in amazement. Tuvok did not just bring that up!

Chakotay's answering smile was placid and serene, but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I'll take you up on that, Mr Tuvok." He tapped his com badge and informed a delighted Neelix that a certain Lt Cmdr will be joining him in the galley tomorrow morning to show off his culinary skills. "I look forward to sampling that plomek soup."

With that, the satisfied former Maquis leader sat down in his nice, soft first officer's chair.

Tom managed to swerve back towards the view screen just before a few silent snorts of laughter escaped.

Even Harry smiled, though he wiped that from his face as soon as Tuvok glowered impassively at him. Humans were so illogical at times.

Just then, Captain Kathryn Janeway walked out of her ready room. "Harry, I want a deck by deck sensor sweep of the ship!"

"What's wrong," Chakotay asked, all jocularity brushed aside in light of the concern in his captain's voice.

"Seven. She's not on the ship. Computer, when was Seven of Nine last aboard Voyager?"

The computer responded in its monotone voice with, "Seven of Nine was last aboard Voyager at sixteen hundred, thirty-two hours."

Janeway paced. "Ten minutes ago. Harry, where's that internal sensor sweep!"

"Almost done, Captain!" The ensign worked furiously. "I'm detecting the remnants of some kind of annular confinement beam." He looked up at them. "A transporter!"

"What?" Janeway stared at him in surprise. "Can you trace it?"

Chakotay snapped open his chair's console. "The reading's deteriorating rapidly! I can barely see it!"

Expertly, Harry inputed sequences into his terminal. "I'm going to try boosting the subspace carrier signal with a high matter burst." He pumped his fist in celebration and announced the direction.

"Tom…!" Janeway began ordering her pilot to plot a course, but Voyager was already underway.

* * *

Seven was immobile, strapped to some form of inclined table. From behind her came the telltale sounds of movement. Her pulse began to race. Perspiration formed on her brow. As a drone, she had been free from this weakness. But now? Seven of Nine was afraid.

Fear is irrelevant. She must remember that!

Her captors desire something from either herself or Voyager. No doubt Captain Janeway is aware of her disappearance by now. The crew will be working to rescue her.

It would be prudent to delay her abductors. "Who are you? Why have you abducted me?"

There was some form of communication, but not in direct response to her query. They were discussing how to proceed in a language belonging to Species 1906. Seven responded in kind as they walked into view.

The creatures flinched. Their pigmentation fluctuated in correlation with their surprise. An emotional response indicative of their race. The male's pigmentation deepened in color to match the audible fear in his voice when he asked the female how Seven know how to speak in their so called "Holy Tongue." He is undisciplined. Good. The female's complexion, however, returned to its original color quickly. Unfortunate.

"Calm yourself, Calamet. She is Borg. It's obvious she learned it after assimilating some of the Chosen People."

"You are correct," Seven admitted. "But I'm no longer a drone. I have been freed from the Collective."

The female blinked in consideration before addressing the male, Calamet, once more. "From her accent, we can infer the Borg has assimilated someone from Chantho Congregation."

Calamet frowned and his skin purpled. "Does that have any influence on our experiment?"

The smile she favored her subordinate with revealed a row of sharp teeth. "No, but it's very interesting."

"What is it that you want from me," Seven demanded fiercely as her fear became more and more relevant.

The two members of Species 1906 continued to ignore her. "I believe an excision of some of its biological systems will effectively stimulate the technological ones," Calamet proposed.

Seven paled. "If you regenerate my Borg implants, you could attract the attention of the Collective!" This was madness! "Your biological and technological distinctiveness would be added to their own!"

The female asked if there was any need for Seven's vocal cords to remain active.

"I'm afraid so, Dr Melana. It will need them to access the voice recognition software aboard its vessel."

The doctor sighed. "Very well. Perhaps some music to drown her screams?"

Calamet smiled and nodded eagerly. "Can we listen to the Tabernacle Choir of Habertania Congregation?"

Melana patted his shoulder maternally. 'Of course, my boy. I know how much you favor them." She refocused her attentions to Seven as the alien music began. "I think we will do as you suggest, Calamet. But first we'll have to break her neck to keep her from moving so much during the surgeries."

The music was warm, lilting, and melodic, sung by a chorus of rich and soulful voices.

* * *

"Captain's Log, Supplemental"

"It's been six weeks since Seven failed to report to her afternoon briefing, and there's been no sign of her at all her in the Co'Demian Expanse. The transporter signal Ensign Kim traced lead to an unfamiliar warp signature that quickly dissipated. We've brought it to the attention of the local authorities, but no one has admitted to recognizing it. As soon as they realize where we found it, they all but end communications. Our last hope is this prearranged negotiation to trade our sensor readings for deuterium. I've asked Mr Neelix to present the warp signature as well. Hopefully a trader familiar with the expanse will be willing to help us."

"I assure you, Tobrenigan," Neelix replied confidently, "Starfleet sensors are the finest in any quadrant! They utilize multiphase scans, pulses that can detect subspace differentials, geographical sensors, long-range scanners… Why, I could go on an on!"

Tobrenigan, a six limbed trader from the cephalopod-like race known as the Imbardians, stroked his mollusk encrusted…chin? Close enough, Neelix supposed.

When he spoke, it was with a surprisingly sweet and childish voice. "My friend, how can you say this when you have yet to locate your missing comrade?" Tobrenigan chuckled at the Talaxian's surprise. "Surely you didn't expect to wildly roam the Expanse, questioning everyone you come in contact with, and still hope to keep your dilemma a secret?"

Neelix frowned. "No, I suppose not. But that has no bearing on our conversation. Other than to prove to you how sensitive Voyager's sensors are, that is!" He held his hand up to forestall Tobrenigan's protest. "Please, let me explain." He then went on to detail exactly how they were able to utilize the sensors to detect the direction of the transporter signal.

The trader shivered. Neelix knew this to be a good sign from his studies of the local species. Tobrenigabn then began to emit an aromatic scent, pheromones to encourage cooperation. The Talaxian smiled proudly. The deal was all but assured! All he had to do now was find out what information his new friend had. Neelix presented the warp signature.

* * *

Captain Janeway stared incredulously at her morale officer and unofficial ambassador from behind her desk. "He abandoned the negotiations?"

Neelix sighed with dismay. "Yes, Captain. Just like everybody else. As soon as Tobrenigan saw the warp signature, he started sweating profusely. A sure sign of fear in Imbardians, from what I understand. Frankly, going by the expression on his face, I'm a little surprised he didn't ink himself right then and there."

Without another word she stalked out of her ready room. "Is the Imbardian vessel still in sensor range?" Ensign Kim confirmed it was. "Mr Paris, set a course. Let's see if we can't persuade him to be a bit more forthcoming."

Once in range, the captain ordered for a tractor beam to get Tobrenigan's attention since he was ignoring their hails. That got his attention all right. He opened fire and damaged the tractor beam emitters enough to break free!

Janeway grimaced. She tried to do this the easy way. She really did. "Disable his weapons and propulsion systems. Let's see how talkative he is after that."

Tuvok complied. "He has sustained considerable damage to both systems. He is hailing us."

"On screen."

"How dare you fire upon me, Voyager!" Tobrenigan was frothing at the mouth. Spittle flecked and splattered on the view screen.

"You fired on us first, Mr Tobrenigan."

"It was a measure of self-defense. You attempted to illegally halt my vessel!"

Captain Janeway glared. "You were ignoring me. I don't like to be ignored."

The Imbardian's tentacles quivered with fury. "You skeletal scum! I will make sure that absolutely no trader in this sector ever does business with Voyager again!"

"If you like. But before you warn your colleagues away, you'll be answering a few questions for me about that warp signature."

Instantly Tobrenigan stilled. The sweat that had been dripping from him began to almost pour. "I refuse," he snarled. "You can't make me!"

The captain nodded. "You're right. I can't. And I won't even try." She smiled pleasantly. "What I can do is leave you here, damaged as you are. From what I understand about this expanse, people who stay in one place for too long tend to never go anywhere else ever again."

"My, uh, my comm system is working just fine, Captain. I'll send out a distress signal."

Neelix spoke up at that. "Really, Tobrenigan? Oh, I know I'm new to this territory of space, but I've heard a lot of the stories. Do you really want to send out an automated distress signal here? Who knows what might be listening?"

Tobrenigan's tentacles began to flail about wildly. His agitation was evident to everyone. He swore at them, vehemently cursing their spawners and damning their spawn to the deep black waters.

Inwardly, the captain flinched at his fear. Fear she was causing. But Seven was missing and this person was impeding her search. The expression on Captain Janeway's face betrayed nothing of her ethics, nor how she felt about violating them. All she showed was steel.

"Mr Paris, make for heading 861 mark 2. Warp 5. Goodbye, Mr Tobrenigan. Kill the transmission, Mr Tuvok."

The screen flickered to the stars once more.

Tom turned to his captain. "Should I enter the heading?" It was clear he didn't want to leave the Imbardian like this.

She nodded. "Go around his ship first. At one-eighth impulse. We'll give him a chance to hail us again."

"Aye, Captain."

Slowly, the sleek and nimble Intrepid class USS Voyager circled the small freighter vessel like a predator toying with her prey. Just before the nacelles rose up to initiate the warp field, Tuvok announced, "We are being hailed."

* * *

People called them the Zealots. No one really knew how they got that name, but everyone who traded in the expanse knew why. The few survivors there were spoke of fanatics who committed atrocities. Things like beheadings, torture, kidnapping, thieving, mutilations, and subjugation were acceptable when done in their God's name. They were proud of their actions. They boasted of how they were the Chosen Ones. That they alone deserved to follow Her Path. All others were placed here by Her for their use. And use them they did.

Sometimes it was a single ship. Other times it was outposts, raided for supplies. Once, just once, an entire colony went silent. There was no obvious reason why. Every one of the three thousand inhabitants just faded away in the middle of the night. When investigators arrived to determine what happened, all they found out of place was a strange symbol burned into the tallest building. No one goes within ten parsecs of that system anymore.

But as terrible as all that sounds, it's worse when you come across a derelict ship or station. At first, salvagers or rescue parties would board them, hoping to make either a profit or provide aid. Now? Now only the coldest hearts dare enter. And they come out colder still. To a one, all of them refuse to speak about what was found inside.

Eventually it became taboo to talk about the Zealots entirely. As if by mere mention, they could be summoned into existence. It was just the Expanse being the Expanse, people said. Some even live in the Expanse without knowing the truth. But they'll find out. Everyone does one way or another.

Neelix shuddered once Tobrenigan finished his story. His estimation of the trader rose a little and he passed the sweating man a towel. "Thank you. That must've been difficult for you. We appreciate it very much! With the captain's permission, I'd like to give you those sensor scans we spoke of?" The Talaxian looked questioningly to said captain.

Janeway nodded."I'll personally go over them with you while we repair the damage to your ship. But I have just one more question. Do you know anything about their transporter technology?"

Tobrenigan swallowed heavily. "Only that it's supposed to be far more advanced than anyone's. They say it's because of the power of God, or something like that."

She nodded again. "Alright, gentlemen. What do you say we look at some charts?"

* * *

At dinner, Chakotay frowned while he puzzled over what Kathryn said about these, "What did Tobrenigan call them? Zealots?" He chuckled, humorlessly. "From the sound of things, I'd say it suites them."

She nodded her agreement, supping her wine. "They remind me of the Taliban from early 21st century Earth, except hopefully not with an Augment leader this time."

"That's funny. I was just thinking about how they reminded me of the Americans from the 18th and 19th centuries."

She arched an eyebrow. "They weren't religious. Not like the Taliban."

Chakotay shrugged. "True. But they did seem to act like everything and everyone was their's by right. No Augment necessary."

Kathryn rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair to consider the information they'd gathered thus far. "What really interests me is the empty colony."

Chakotay smiled at the deflection and took another bite of his replicated pot roast. "What about it?"

"Tobrenigan said it looked like they vanished. What if they did?"

"You're thinking of the advanced transporter technology he mentioned."

"They did manage to beam Seven off of Voyager without detection," Kathryn reminded him.

"Regardless, the transport of one person is very different from transporting an entire colony. And that's assuming there really is a colony."

"I'd like to find out for sure. Besides, it's in the general direction that warp signature was heading and I don't have any other leads." She signaled the bridge and requested that the helmsman on duty set a course for the region Tobrenigan indicated the colony was in.

After about five silent minutes of watching her move food around on a plate, Chakotay finally had had enough. "Alright, Kathryn, what's bothering you?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What isn't? I've got a missing crewman, we're lost in the Delta Quadrant, and I finally manage not to burn a pot roast, so I destroy dessert instead. Thank goodness for wine," the captain added with a wry toast.

He chuckled and toasted back. "Fortunately I know how to replicate a mean chocolate mousse. But that's not what I meant. You seem listless. Like you said, you've finally managed to make a delicious roast, but you've barely touched it. You only play with your food when something's bothering you. So what is it?"

Janeway set her fork down and rubbed her face tiredly. "I keep thinking about how I treated Tobrenigan. I hunted him down and made him tell me what I wanted to know."

"You didn't do anything that couldn't be repaired, and we gave him the sensor readings he wanted," Chakotay pointed out. "Not to mention he was withholding information that could help us find Seven."

She sighed. "I know. And I'd do it again if I had to. But I'm not proud of it. I didn't join Starfleet to be a bully."

"No, but you're the Captain. And that sometimes means having to do things you aren't going to be proud of." He refilled their glasses. "Do you think James Kirk or Garth of Izar never did anything they regretted to protect their people?"

"Garth of Izar ended up institutionalized on Elba II!"

"And Kirk ended up the most famous captain in Fleet history. The difference between those two men was that Kirk relied on his friends to keep him grounded. Garth kept his subordinates at a distance." Chakotay smiled warmly. "If you ever go too far, Kathryn, I'll be here to pull you back."

Captain Janeway put her hand on his and returned his smile. "Thank you. Now, I believe you said something about chocolate mousse?"

He laughed. "Coming right up."

* * *

The planet was as desolate as the Imbardian had promised. Orbital scans showed no signs of humanoid life. The local flora and fauna was slowly reclaiming the colony. They detected herds of wild six-legged beasts the size of a family car roaming the city. And a pack of predators to stalk them. Vegetation had burst through the paved roads and even into some of the structures. The birds made their nests anywhere they pleased. Their cries echoed hauntingly in the streets of the dead city.

Chakotay repressed a shudder as he issued orders to Chief Engineer Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, Ensign Kim, and the three members of Tuvok's security team who beamed down with them at the Vulcan's insistence.

"B'Elanna, I want you to conduct a thorough analysis of the colony's infrastructure. Find out what they used for power, how they built their buildings, what materials they had… You know what to look for." She nodded her assent and got to work. "Ensign, I want a detailed report on any sort of scientific equipment you might find. And see if you can access any kind of records to get an idea of what was happening right before their disappearance."

"Aye, sir."

"What about you, Chakotay?" B'Elanna asked her long-time friend.

He stared at the imposing symbol burned into the city's largest building. "The colonists offended the Zealot's God. We need to know how." With a sigh and a shake of his head to focus his thoughts, the commander ordered that one of the security team accompany each of them.

With that, they went about their business.

* * *

It had been about five hours when Harry Kim contacted him ahead of schedule.

Chakotay spent the time trying to get a feel for the people who had lived there. He studied their art, how they dressed, the architecture… Their toys and games even. The anthropologist in him realized what a significant opportunity this empty colony was. He'd always wanted to be the first to examine an unknown culture. And to have so many perfect artifacts! This could make his reputation. But he'd taken no pleasure in his work. There was no satisfaction. This wasn't some long dead civilization he was investigating. They were victims. And he still didn't know why. Maybe there was something in one of the books he'd gathered, but he'll never know for sure.

Not that he understood this when he tapped his combadge to answer Ensign Kim. "Go ahead."

"Crewman Fleegman is dead, sir." His own security escort looked up at that.

Chakotay set down the book he was going over. "What happened?"

"I don't know. He said he was going to do a perimeter sweep. When he didn't come back, I went looking for him and found him like this. There are no bio-signs in the area, and there doesn't appear to be any wounds on his body. There are some unusual radiation readings however."

"Stay put, Ensign." He tapped his combadge again. "Chakotay to away team, standby for transport back to Voyager."

"Negative, Commander," Lieutenant Torres told him. "I'm just about to get the city's power supply up and running."

"That's an order, B'Elanna. We're leaving. Now!"

She swore under her breath in Klingon as the transporter beam hit her.

* * *

Voyager's chief medical officer, the Emergency Medical Hologram, EMH for short, but the Doctor to his friends, gave the autopsy report to a very angry Captain Janeway during the senior officers' briefing. "Crewman Fleegman died from a severe, and acute, case of nuclear radiation poisoning."

"What caused it?" She demanded, quietly. Fleegman had been a good man, with a husband and daughters back home. How awful will it be for those girls when Voyager finally returns to Federation space, only to find out it's without their father?

Harry Kim answered that question. "Tricorder readings show that the radiation burst was highly concentrated. It wouldn't have effected anything except what was in its path. At least, not to the degree that Don was hit." Harry looks devastated, Janeway noticed. With a start, she remembered he and Fleegman played in a band together.

The Doctor spoke up. "The entire away team had to be treated for radiation poisoning. Don't worry, they'll all be fine," he added off of the captain's alarmed expression.

She nodded and asked B'Elanna if that was the city's power source. "I didn't have the opportunity to turn it on to make a full analysis, but I don't think so. There wasn't enough in the way of insulation for nuclear fission. If that colony used nuclear power, then everyone there would've died from radiation sickness in a matter of days. I'm almost positive it was a clean source of energy."

Tom Paris suggested that maybe the colonists were immune to that kind of radiation?

"Not likely," Harry denied. "If they were using any radiation for a power source without shielding, we would've been able to detect evidence of that from Voyager. And definitely while we were on the surface. The amount of power required to light a city would've irradiated everything for decades. Both carbon and radiometric dating says this colony is only fifteen or twenty years old."

"So what caused it?" Janeway asked her assembled officers. "Is it a natural occurrence? An anomaly of some kind?"

"It was the Zealots," Chakotay said quietly.

"Explain."

"We've confirmed the radiation was highly localized. A more in-depth sensor sweep showed certain locations in the city are emitting the same radiation in smaller doses." Chakotay pulled up a sensor map of the city overlain with the areas in question. "They didn't show up in our initial sweeps. But they're certainly there now."

Tuvok continued. "It's possible the away team's arrival triggered some sort of defensive measure. I will study the sensor data to verify this and see if there is a way we can avoid it in the future."

Janeway nodded and asked why Chakotay felt the Zealots were responsible.

"I'm guessing, but I believe the planet was sacred to the Zealots somehow. The symbol on the building could be a warning to others against trespassing on holy ground. If that were the case, what happened to Crewman Fleegman would be the consequences of ignoring that warning."

Before the captain could respond to that, they were interrupted by Ensign Jenkins at the conn.

"Jenkins to the Captain!"

"What is it?"

"Seven of Nine just beamed aboard the bridge! She's trying to access life support!"

* * *

Calamet's skin was orange again. Dr Melana shared in his excitement, for the operation had begun! It was Providence the aliens arrived here at their location when they did. Soon their Mission will be completed! These undeserving creatures will have the honor of dying in the service of God's Chosen and go on to their eternal reward! What a rich blessing that is being bestowed upon them! The pair of scientists watched their monitors and waited for Her divine will to come to fruition.

* * *

"Seven!" Janeway shouted when she saw her. "Where have you been? What are you doing?"

The former drone didn't look up from her work. "You must stop me, Captain. You must kill me."

"…What?"

"I'm attempting to access life support in order to release a toxin that will paralyze the crew. I cannot stop my actions."

Tuvok reacted almost instantly to this declaration with a phaser blast set to high stun. Borg shielding flared brilliantly around her.

It was then that Captain Janeway fully took stock of Seven. Some of her Borg implants had obviously been reactivated. Her skin was slowly growing mottled and discolored even as she worked. Worse, she had bruises and was showing clear signs of surgery. Dried blood matted her hair. Seven had been abused and tortured.

Lieutenant Joseph Cary contacted the bridge from his post in Main Engineering. "What's going on up there, Bridge!"

"Lieutenant Cary, you must block bridge access to life support immediately," Seven ordered.

"What? Seven…?"

"Do it, Lieutenant," Janeway confirmed.

Seven nodded after a few moments. "He has succeeded. I will now go to Main Engineering to fulfill my task. You must stop me."

Tuvok tapped his com badge. "Red alert! Security teams one, two, and three to deck eleven, turbo lift. All other teams to Main Engineering. Borg intrusion protocols are to be enacted. Seven of Nine is the hostile. Repeat: Seven of Nine is the hostile. Enact Borg intrusion protocols."

"Computer, disallow all command functions for crewman Seven of Nine!" Captain Janeway ordered. "Authorization Janeway-Kappa-6-1-6!"

"Confirmed. All command functions for crewman Seven of Nine have been disallowed."

Seven boarded the turbolift. She looked back to the captain, a desperate expression on her face. Janeway was horrified to notice that Seven's artificial eye had been removed, replaced with some form of optical device. "Kill me," she warned once more before the doors swished shut.

"Doctor, I want a complete scan on what the hell happened to Seven! Find out a way to deactivate her Borg implants so we can stun her!" The Doctor nodded and transferred his program to Sickbay at once to save time.

Tom picked up the Doctor's mobile emitter. "I'll head down there myself, see if I can't give him a hand."

"Harry, I want a site-to-site transport to Main Engineering. Chakotay, you, Tuvok, and Harry try and figure out where Seven beamed in from! B'Elanna, reroute as many engineering functions to your bridge station as you can, then help them!" Captain Janeway nodded at her officers, confident in their abilities.

"Energize."

Seconds later, she materialized in engineering and demanded a report from Lieutenant Carey. "We've begun working with B'Elanna to reroute functions to her bridge terminal, and I have Ensign Vorik and a crew establishing force fields around key stations." The young officer stared apprehensively towards the doors to Main Engineering. "What's going on, Captain? What happened Seven?"

Janeway patted him on the shoulder. "I don't know, Mr Carey. But I promise, we'll do everything in our power to help her."

The Lieutenant pulled out a pair of phasers from a weapons locker and passed one to his captain.

Together, they waited for their friend and colleague to try and destroy them.

* * *

Calamet watched in rapt fascination as Seven of Nine dispatched her shipmates. "I'm glad you suggested we use its ocular cavity as a way to observe the experiment in action, Doctor. Inspired!"

Dr Melana's exhilaration showed carelessly in a brief flash of orange skin. "Thank you, Calamet. But this whole endeavor was your excellent idea in the first place." She winced. "Oh! Did you see how she defeated that male? It went down rather quickly, I must say!"

"Yes, Doctor. I'm a little disappointed that he didn't offer more of a struggle. Especially since he's one of the bulkier looking specimens."

"Perhaps I can arrange for you to dissect it alone, Calamet. You can write your dissertation on the animal's internal organs."

The younger scientist practically glowed orange in anticipation.

"Did you notice that it's using non-lethal methods against them, Doctor?"

"I had, actually. I was just thinking how fortunate it was we hadn't lost any stock thus far. Was that your doing?"

Calamet blued with pride. "Yes, it was! I programed it not to kill it's shipmates for that very reason!"

She smiled fondly at her apprentice as his attention returned to the monitor. He was a fine boy and will make a wonderful permanent addition to her staff.

* * *

"Ballard, lock down that terminal! Parsons, support Andrews! Boylan, get down!" Janeway shouted as Seven bodily threw Ensign Ashmore aside. He landed against a force field and was repelled violently back towards the fracas. The captain reached out and pulled the stunned engineering officer out danger. She fired again at Seven and cursed as the Borg shields continued to prove their efficiency at adapting.

Regardless of Seven's shouts and warnings, the security teams were depressingly ineffective against her. Stripped of the cumbersome attachments, a Borg's enhanced speed and strength enabled the woman to easily brutalize and subdue the Starfleet personnel. She was grateful that lethal force was evidently not authorized. The security teams had realized this and began attempting to physically restrain her. It was not easy, but definitely more effective at impeding her progress than phaser fire had been.

This gave Seven time to consider what their best course of action would be. It was fortunate her thoughts remained her own. No one understood what has happened to her better than she did. And seeing as how Captain Janeway is unlikely to agree to terminate her, her input will be invaluable.

"Captain!" Seven shouted as Boylan tackled her. "I must speak with the Doctor!"

Said doctor was feverishly inputing data into his computer terminal. "Rerun this simulation with these differences in the the nanite's programing," he ordered a crewman. In times of emergency, several of the crew could be appropriated for his purposes. None more so than Thomas Eugene Paris, who dodged one of his fellow draftees into the Doc's tyranny.

"Here's the sample you wanted!"

"It's about time, Mr Paris! I was worried Seven would've disabled all of you before I'd gotten this! Then where would I be? Alone, trying to save everyone's necks." The Doctor began entering the sample data into his simulations when he was very rudely interrupted by Seven herself. "Not now, Seven! I'm busy introducing an encoded viral emulation sequence into your Borg nanites."

There was the sound of phaser fire sparking off of her shielding. "For what purpose?"

Nonplussed by the question, the Doctor answered her. "So that your own immune system would be convinced to destroy them."

"That would not be an effective treatment for disabling my nanites. And even if it were…" A scream of agony chimed in over the comm. "I require a certain amount of them to function."

The Doctor blanched. "Was that Ensign Vorik?"

"He will live."

"How reassuring."

By this point, everyone in sickbay had stopped to listen in on the ironic conversation.

The Doctor whirled on them. "There's no need for any of you to stand there. Get back to work, people." He glared at Tom. "You too, Mr Paris."

"Aye, sir," the pilot-cum-medic replied sarcastically, annoyed but used to it.

With that done, the EMH returned his attentions back to his patient. "What do you suggest then, Seven?"

* * *

"I knew we should've severed her vocal cords," Dr Melana muttered.

The young scientist turned black with shame. "Forgive my oversight, Doctor Melana! I didn't anticipate they would be able to revoke its command privileges so easily!"

"It's alright, Calamet. Everything is perfect in retrospect. This is a lesson for you. Remember it."

Calamet sighed with relief. "You're very kind, Doctor Melana. I'm quite blessed to be learning from you."

* * *

In all her years of experience, Captain Janeway never once thought she'd be wrestling with a liberated Borg as it collaborated on ways to be stopped.

Seven pushed up against the forcefield to the station where life support was routed to. "The regeneration programming in my nanites is only active due to the excessive surgery and the abuse I endured! If you're so insistent on reprogramming them, then do so with instructions to deactivate my implants!"

The Doctor shook his head. "That will kill you."

"Eventually, yes!" She grunted as four crewmen forced her away from the console. "But it would not be instantaneous! You would have time to repair me and reprogram my nanites."

"I don't even know what program's been altered! It would take days to figure that out! Days you wouldn't have, Seven."

Lieutenant Carey smacked her across the face with the butt of a spent phaser rifle. In retaliation, she backhanded the man hard enough to knock some teeth out.

"There is a new implant, one developed by my abductors, that's supplanted my cerebellum. My nanites have been reprogrammed to assume motor function control and they are now receiving orders from this device."

The Doctor considered this information. He could work with it, but he'll need a sample of the reprogrammed nanites and told her so.

Seven began formulating a way to get him a sample as she finally wrested a phaser from someone and began stunning people. The captain dodged behind one of the corners in engineering.

"Harry! Can you get a lock on Seven yet?"

"Negative, Captain. Her shields are still scrambling the sensors enough so that I can't get any kind of lock on her."

"Great." She fired around the corner once more, this time at the console Seven was using.

This distracted her long enough for Vorik to slam Seven's knee as hard as he could with his good arm and a heavy piece of piping. Being a Vulcan, that was hard indeed. His sensitive ears could hear her bones breaking and were nearly deafened by the scream of pain that came with it. He did not allow his sympathy and pity to dictate his next action of course and proceeded to club her about the head.

However, Seven managed to get an arm up and block the blow. She wrenched the piping from his hand and pummeled him with it. She then attempted to reach a new console, but her damaged leg wouldn't support her weight. With a cry, she collapsed to the ground.

Captain Janeway scrambled out from behind her cover and kicked all the phasers out of reach. Lt Carey and a few others gathered to back her up. "Seven, can you hear me?" She asked, cautiously.

Without warning, Seven reached out with her left arm and injected Carey with Borg nanites! Parsons, Jor, and Andrews forced her hands behind her back. She smiled in satisfaction. It had worked!

Janeway commed the bridge immediately. "Harry, lock onto Lt Carey and beam him to sickbay!"

* * *

"I wonder what effects the nanites might have on him since it's separated from the Collective? What do you think, Dr Melana?"

She considered it for a moment. "I don't know. Perhaps I will also get to write a paper, eh Calamet?"

He grinned. "I can't wait to read it!"

* * *

The Doctor was able to adapt his idea of altering the Borg nanites for use in Carey's body. It was actually fairly easy because the nanites were inert. The assimilation programming was still inactive, and there was no implant to receive instructions from. The worst Lt Carey had to deal with was a migraine and some dental work.

"Mr Paris, take these nanites from Carey's blood and run a full comparison to what we have on file." He pointed to one of the volunteers. "Crewmen White, continue to monitor the Lieutenant's vitals. Notify me immediately at the slightest change."

"Yes, Doctor."

The hologram examined another sample of the nanites he'd taken from Carey. He hoped this wan't a wild goose chase as he began to look for the programming Seven spoke of.

* * *

Seven screamed as a phaser overloaded a few feet from her. She was far enough way that it hadn't killed her, but close enough to be hurt. Badly. She flew back and impacted a burning console. That too exploded and threw the bleeding and battered Borg down to the floor.

That did more damage than I wanted! Dammit, Janeway cursed!

"Captain!" Seven called out as she began dragging herself towards the warp core. One of the terminals by it was still functional. "I will not regenerate quickly enough to defend against a phaser blast!" The captain fired, but heavy stun still had little effect on her. There was no other option then. "You must set your phaser to kill!"

"The hell I will," Janeway sneered. "I didn't go through all this just to give up now!"

She, Ensigns Rollins, Ashmore, and Golwat managed to grab Seven and haul her back a good ten feet. But despite her damaged systems and injuries, she threw her assailants off of her.

The fire from the explosion framed Seven's silhouette as she stood, blanketing her in shadow. Blood dripped on the floor. Damaged implants sparked even as new ones burst violently through her sickly wet and mottled skin.

"Kill me," Seven repeated. "Kill me, or I will be the instrument of this crew's death."

Captain Janeway stared at the horror her protege had become. There had to be another way!

* * *

Back on the Bridge, B'Elanna, Harry, Tuvok, and Chakotay worked feverishly to locate the source of the transporter beam that returned Seven to them.

B'Elanna came up with a rather brilliant way to adapt a probe for planet-side use.

"It'll most likely be destroyed on impact, if it doesn't burn up before then" she said. "But we'll be able to receive telemetry regarding the planet's surface, and under it, right up until that point."

Harry spoke up. "If we program the right reentry vector, we should have almost fifteen seconds or more of some really detailed scans."

Chakotay nodded. "Have it ready in ten minutes. Tuvok?"

The Vulcan pulled out a tricorder. "I've reviewed the scans crewman Fleegman was taking right before his death. The radiation post mortem was enough to overwhelm the tricorder's sensors. However, there was enough data to extrapolate the events leading to his demise." Tuvok pulled up a sensor reading on the viewscreen at his terminal. "Fleegman began taking sensor readings, as he had been every ten minutes, per my instructions. Note, as no doubt he did, the lack of life signs in that area. There is ample food, vegetation, and shelter, yet no creatures inhabit it."

"Most likely due to the radiation," Chakotay supposed.

"My assumption as well, Commander. However, no such lack of fauna exists in the other effected areas which suggests otherwise. And if you look closely, you will see a spike in ambient subspace radiation just as the data became unusable."

"A signal? From where?"

"Unknown. But judging by the strength of the signal, it was directed either at crewman Fleegman or an unknown receiver."

Chakotay frowned. "Are you saying Fleegman was intentionally killed?"

"In all probability, Commander."

"But we were there for hours. Why would they wait to kill us until then?"

Tuvok pulled up a series of tricorder logs. "Crewman Fleegman had been alternating his routes during his scans. This was the first time he had been in that particular location."

"It could be a sacred space for the Zealots."

With a raised eyebrow, the security chief also pointed out that it could be the location of the entrance to their headquarters. "Or the location to their base of operations. That the local wildlife avoids this area alone lends credence to the possibility. I theorize that enough subspace interference should disrupt any signals directed at that location and allow us to discover the truth for ourselves."

Chakotay thought about it. "How much interference?"

"There is insufficient data to form an acceptable hypothesis. The probe Ensign Kim and Lt Torres is working on should provide the information needed to refine my estimation."

He clapped Tuvok on the shoulder, much to the consternation of his Vulcan colleague. "Good job. I'll inform the captain."

* * *

Meanwhile the captain was dodging a piece of debris that Seven had flung at her. It slammed thunderously against the warp core and Janeway was almost certain of a breach. After a few moments where nothing happened, she poked her head out and yelled at her wayward crewman.

"I thought you were trying not to kill any of us!"

Seven limped up to the terminal and began accessing life support. "It was a calculated risk." She stopped and placed her hands behind her back in her customary standing position. "I can't fulfill my function using this terminal."

Janeway nodded. "I had B'Elanna disable life support access completely. Even we can't do anything with it until repairs are completed."

"A wise precaution, Captain." She grimaced. "Unfortunately, it seems my systems are implementing a secondary objective. I am to immobilize Voyager itself until the crew can be captured."

With that declaration, the unwilling Borg launched herself at Janeway and threw her towards the entrance of Engineering. Stunned, the captain was unable to stop what happened next.

Seven picked up a piece of metal and launched it at the warp core with perfect aim. The plasma coolant tank breeched and lethal gas spilled out into the room.

On cue, the emergency bulkheads began descending from the ceiling, saving the scrambling combatants and unconscious crew members from having their flesh burned off.

* * *

Doctor Melana and Calamet laughed and embraced.

"Congratulations, young one! You have succeeded in saving us!"

Calamet blued bashfully. "I couldn't have done anything without your guidance, teacher."

She beamed at him. "You're too modest, my boy! Why, if I have anything to say about it, you'll be receiving the Academy Prize for Societal Advancement this year."

"I'm just happy to have served God's will, Doctor."

With that, she signaled the Collectors to gather their goods.

* * *

"Seven, what have you done?" Captain Janeway asked, coughing, struggling to rise.

"I have killed us all, Captain. You should not have shown me mercy."

"What happens now?" She asked instead of dignifying that with a response.

Seven waited. "I have no further instructions, save preventing anyone from implementing repairs."

The captain nodded and moved out of Seven's hearing range. "Janeway to Chakotay. How's the search going?"

"I was just about to let you know, actually. How's everything down there?"

Janeway looked at the sealed bulkhead and activated the systems that will expel the gasses from the room. "Seven breeched the plasma coolant tank. We're stuck at impulse for now. We'll need to prepare for visitors."

"Understood. Fortunately, my news is a little better. We've made significant headway in locating the Zealots. B'Elanna has just launched a modified sensor probe and the telemetry has proven to be invaluable."

"Keep me informed. Janeway out." She then contacted the Doctor and asked for an update from him.

"I'm happy to report I've figured out how to reprogram Seven's nanoprobes to destroy all non-Borg technology in her systems."

"Excellent, Doctor. When will the treatment be ready, and how do we administer it?"

"The treatment will be ready in minutes. I'm replicating a sufficient supply of nanites now. We can administer it via hypospray."

"I don't think Seven will let us get close enough to do that, Doctor," Janeway pointed out.

The Doctor's umbrage was obvious in the tone of his voice. "I've already thought of that, Captain. Mr Paris has replicated an ancient Earth weapon called a tranquilizer gun that fires little hypospays. It's very interesting! He assures me it will be fast enough that Seven can't dodge it, yet slow enough so her shielding won't activate."

"Good work." She then ended the transmission.

The bulkhead sealing the warp core off rose after the noxious vapors had been cleared out. Even from this distance, the Captain could tell the breech wasn't actually that bad. It was small. Small enough to be repaired in a day. Maybe even in a few hours. That was fortunate.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Tom point his weapon at Seven from the second level. He must've just beamed in. "Seven," she said, walking so that Seven's back would be away from Tom. "I was wondering, what do you suppose your abductors want with us? Perhaps we can come to an accommodation?"

Seven looked extremely dubious about the notion, but before she could say as such, she slapped her neck and within moments passed out.

Some of the crew Seven had beaten into submission were beginning to rouse. "Andrews, Biddle, are you alright?" They nodded. "Good. Get Seven to sickbay. She looked around to see who else in security wasn't badly injured. "Lang, Murphy, go with them," the captain ordered. "Tom, I want you to start a triage here. Find out who needs to go to sickbay and who can stay and work."

"Aye, Captain."

B'Elanna came rushing in and nearly needed treatment herself when she saw the state of Main Engineering. Before Janeway could get a word in, she began barking orders to her staff. "Vorik, that arm isn't broken too badly! Ignore the pain! Where's your Vulcan discipline? Lyndsay, I want that hole in the plasma coolant tank sealed up ten minutes ago and ready for reinitialization two minutes after that! Otherwise, we're gonna be in a bigger mess than the one in your quarters! Chattaway, go to my console on the Bridge and watch the anti-matter flow! Did I ask whether you were in Engineering? I'm not going to waste any of my crew up there when you can do the job just fine! Just tell me if the gauge goes near red, okay? Where the hell is Carey? What? Borg nanites? Has he been assimilated? No? Then I want him down here!"

Captain Janeway left repairs in her Chief Engineer's capable hands.

As soon as she returned to the Bridge, she demanded a status report.

"Shields are up and weapons are primed, Captain. Nothing yet on sensors," Tuvok told her from his station.

Ops reported all available crew was at action stations.

Ensign Jenkins at conn said that warp was still down, but the impulse engines were ready.

Chakotay came to her side. "Harry's still evaluating the data we retrieved from the probe. But there's every indication that we've located the Zealot's base."

"Good." She began pacing her bridge. "They took one of my crew, violated her, forced us to fight her… " Janeway stopped and looked at her XO. There was a rage blazing in her Chakotay had never seen before. "I feel the pressing need to violate my ethics again."

He tried to radiate calm and comfort. "I'm not going anywhere."

Just then, Harry stormed in from the turbolift. "I have it!" He called up the probe's data at his station. "Commander Tuvok, you were right! The radiation's being emitted by mines! Most of them are just in the middle of nowhere as far as I can tell, but these two here are right above an underground structure of some sort. The scans couldn't penetrate that far into the earth, but there's every indication they're connected somehow."

"Mines?" Janeway demanded. "Fleegman was murdered?"

Harry's excitement over his discovery fled at the grim reminder. "I believe so, Captain."

This only stoked the fires of her anger.

Chakotay noticed and redirected the conversation. "So how do we prevent it from happening again?"

The ensign presented a PADD to the first officer. "Based on Commander Tuvok's suggestion, I was able to isolate the subspace frequency and modified a few tricorders to emit a jamming signal. I haven't tested it yet, but I'm confident it will work."

Harry and B'Elanna's probe managed to discover the entrance to a buried complex twenty meters under the surface. Evidence suggested it was there before the colony was. Perhaps abandoned or with a skeleton crew, Harry posited. The Zealots likely returned and waited until they were ready to disappear the colonist.

Chakotay nodded. "That's the offense. Infidels had the temerity to colonize a planet they had claimed for their God. Those people were damned the moment they set foot on that world."

"Another reason I won't let them get away with this. Harry, you're with me. Tuvok, I want you and ten of your best to accompany us."

Chakotay began to protest. "Captain, are you sure you want to…?"

"Save it. I need you here. I'm not as good as you at fighting superior forces in ship combat. These Zealots have never dealt with the Maquis before. I'm betting they won't know what hit them."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know. Don't worry," she assured him. "I'm not ready for Elba II just yet." Kathryn headed for the turbolift with the rest of her away team.

* * *

Dr Melana watched with rapt fascination through the oculus as the Doctor operated on Seven. What a stunning opportunity to study the medicinal sciences of lesser species!

"Do you see the care it takes when making an incision, Calamet? It's almost mechanical in its precision!" She sighed in respectful appreciation. "I would so enjoy a chance to observe it's work further."

"Actually, he's a hologram, Doctor," Calamet said. "It's entirely possible he could be reprogramed to actually serve us."

"Really? I had no idea this species was capable of generating a golem!"

Calamet reviewed his collected data on Voyager. "There is quite a bit about these… Federations that would surprise you. For example, did you know they aren't even from this region of Creation? They come from the Dravon Quartern. Or Alpha Quadrant, in their language."

Dr Melana backhanded her apprentice across the face. "How dare you speak anything but the Holy Tongue! I'm surprised at you, Calamet."

He rubbed his sore cheek. "Forgive me, Doctor. I only wanted to be thorough. If there were references made to the Al… to the Dravon Quartern in their language, I wanted you to understand it."

Soothingly, the doctor patted Calamet on the shoulder. "I know that you are trying to help, but to utter so low a language is beneath you. Remember that."

"Yes, doctor. Thank you, doctor." He went back to his notes. "You know, if we can access his holomatrix, I'm certain we can alter his appearance to resemble one of the Chosen."

The doctor looked quite intrigued by the idea. "What a splendid offering we could make of it to the High Priestess. Can it be replicated," she asked.

"I don't see why not, Dr Melana."

Her skin rippled with a cascade of colors. "How absolutely divine. We will be sainted, young one. Mark my words."

* * *

"Anything yet?" Chakotay asked of Crewman Timothy Lang at Operations.

"Nothing, sir. If they're here, they're quiet."

Chakotay nodded. "What about Tactical?"

The tactical officer, Ensign Deborah Lang (no relation), replied in the negative as well.

They should've been here by now, the former terrorist leader thought to himself. Especially if they were coming from the planet. There was no tactical advantage to waiting. Why aren't they here yet? An ambush? There's no need. Everything they knew about the Zealots' technology suggested it was superior to the Federation's. Something was very wrong here. It was time to get out of the field of battle and rethink their strategy. They needed a hiding place.

"Jenkins, are there any moons or comets nearby?"

The conn officer deftly scanned for any such celestial objects. "None that I can find, Commander," she reported after a few moments.

Damn.

"But there is a hefty debris field just on the edge of our short range scanners."

Chakotay frowned. There was no record of a debris field during their approach to the colony. How had they missed that? "Take us there, Ensign."

* * *

The Doctor pulled the ocular device out from Seven's eye cavity and it deactivated with an audible fizzle.

Calamat and Dr Melana groaned in disappointment.

It was just as well, however, because the monitors switched to security at that point.

"Look!" Calamat cried out. "Federations are on the Sacred Grounds again!"

Dr Melana sighed regretfully. And the captain was there too. "What a waste," she lamented before activating the mines.

Nothing happened.

She pushed the button again.

Still nothing.

"Is the button broken, doctor?"

"It must be," she said, bewildered. "That's…never happened before."

* * *

Tuvok planted the charges on the door. After a quick assessment of his surroundings, he estimated that sixteen seconds should be sufficient time to reach cover.

* * *

The ground in their lab rumbled. Calamet stared at the monitors. "Doctor," there was horror in his voice. "The Federations have breached the facility!"

"What?!" Melana's skin exploded into the colors of anger, outrage, and shock. "How could they!" She turned back to the button that didn't work. Were these…creatures…these beasts responsible for that too?

They were running down the halls in an attack pattern. For the first time in history, infidels and sullied were invading Holy Ground. Doctor Melana buried her face in her hands in grief. How could this have happened?

She was supposed to have been hailed as a hero. She was going to be sainted and bring Eternity to her mother and father.

Why had the mines failed? Melana checked the sensors. There was some sort of transmission coming from the Federations. It was similar in frequency to the activation signal. But it wouldn't be precise enough to work. She ran a diagnostic on the detonation system. It was deactivated!

There was more! An object emitting scans swept the skies above them a short time ago.

But that didn't make any sense!

Calamet was manning that station! There should've been an alert to his console. She checked his logs and greened. Slowly her green darkened into the blood red of deep sadness and rage.

"I would have accepted you as a son, Calamet," she said, trembling as he put a gun against the side of her head.

* * *

"The debris is from a starship, Commander," Operations informed him. "But I'm not sure if I'm getting the correct readings here, sir."

"What do you mean, Crewman?"

"Our readings indicate we destroyed this ship."

"I confirm this as well, Commander," Ensign Lang said at Tactical. "The phaser residue perfectly matches that of Voyager's."

"How is that possible?" Chakotay demanded.

Lang at Operations theorized maybe the frequency emissions of whatever phasers used in the battle had been altered to mimic Voyager's. It would've been easy if they had intimate knowledge of Voyager's phaser assembly and power distribution.

Chakotay nodded. Seven must've been forced to relinquish that information. It was safe to assume they also had Voyager's shield frequency. It would be irresponsible of the Zealots to take Voyager's offensive information but not her defensive capabilities. So why didn't the Zealots attack? It would've been easy with that sensitive data. Torpedoes, phaser blasts, even paper airplanes would penetrate their shields like they weren't even there.

The obvious conclusion is that someone is framing them for the destruction of a Zealot vessel. But why?

* * *

Captain Janeway and her team arrived just in time to see an alien murder another one in cold blood. The hot plasma blast seared the wound and no blood spilt. But the air was assaulted by the scent of cooked meat. The alien then turned and addressed them in perfect Federation Standard.

"Stand down, Captain."

She leveled her phaser rifle at him in response.

"Drop your weapon!"

The alien's smile was sinister in appearance. "You're weapons won't work here. I've dampened their energy output."

Tuvok fired his own rifle. Nothing. The Vulcan stepped in front of his captain and friend. "We still outnumber you, sir. It's unlikely you would be able to kill us all before you are defeated."

With a dismissive wave, the alien simply stated he was perfectly willing to become a martyr to his cause. "But are you?"

Janeway moved around the security chief.

She asks why this is happening.

The alien gestured to his victim. "The doctor here was too indoctrinated to live. Now I'll be able to explore real science. Not this pseudo blashdobido they make us do." He slowly placed the weapon in the hands of the corpse.

The captain stared at him. "You murdered that woman just because she disagreed with you?"

Instead of answering, he reached into his clothing.

Tuvok and the rest of the away team flinched and aimed.

"This is simply a PADD from your vessel," the alien said slowly pulling the device from his coat. "It has on it all the work done to Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One. It will benefit from these notes. Believe me."

"Believe you?" Janeway scoffed. "The only thing I've ever seen you do was murder one of your own people and make it look like a suicide!"

"She would've done worse to me. At least this was clean and quick. Goodbye, Captain Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager."

The alien disappeared in an evanescent glow of light, leaving the PADD behind.

Captain Janeway surveyed the area for traps or other enemies. Finding none, she grabbed the PADD and tossed it to Tuvok. "Take a look at this. See if it's what the alien said it was. Harry, you and I will try to access this facility's computer system. The rest of you, fan out and keep watch."

* * *

"Commander! We have a ship decloaking 700 hundred meters off our starboard bow!"

Chakotay ordered shields raised and red alert to be sounded. "Operations!"

The crewman scanned the vessel as it took position directly ahead of them. He paled and told the Commander exactly what they were up against.

Damn, Chakotay thought. They were outclassed by at least fifty years of weapons development.

Lt Lang at Tactical confirmed Crewman Lang's sensor readings. "They're hailing us," she said.

"On screen."

"Voyager," the alien said in greeting. It was humanoid, with reptilian skin and a long, lizard-like snout. Behind it were several other aliens at their posts. Though they didn't possess the same facial structure as the speaker. Chakotay couldn't help but notice these aliens' pigmentation fluctuated while they worked. "You have ten of your minutes to evacuate this system. Otherwise six of the Church's dreadnoughts will discover the evidence that you destroyed one of their Collector ships and send you to Hell."

"Why make it look like us?"

"We'd rather they not know we can destroy their ships just yet." The alien laughed. "You make such a convenient scapegoat, Voyager!"

"And your warning?"

"We have no wish to see you die," the alien said, amused. "You have done us no harm."

"Where was that consideration when one of my crew was abducted and mutilated?"

That wiped the smirk off of the alien's face. "It was necessary, Commander. We are apostates. Should we be caught, it would not go well for us. Dr Melana was an obstacle to the liberation of our people from the edicts of the Church's Science Directorate. Now you will bear the blame for her suicide, leaving our man to take her place. We have won a great victory. It's time you collected your people and left. Now. You have nine minutes."

With that, the alien ended communications and recloaked.

Chakotay fumed for a moment before ordering helm back to the planet.

* * *

Kathryn sipped her coffee silently. She liked it here in her ready room. The view of the stars were magnificent. The views of the planets Voyager orbited more so. Even the colony planet below. It really was a beautiful world. They were hiding in it's magnetic poles until the damage in engineering was sufficiently repaired to enable them to go to warp.

The door chimed.

"Come in." It was Chakotay. "How's my ship," she asked in leu of a greeting.

"She's coming along nicely. B'Elanna says we can do warp two."

She nodded absently, taking in the lush greens and blues the planet had to offer. A few moments later she turned to her first officer. "Set a course around the Co'Demian Expanse. I don't want another encounter with those…people."

Chakotay smiled. "Actually, I have some good news. The PADD that apostate gave you? It had ways to hide from the Zealot's sensors. Unless they look out a window, we'll be able to fly unnoticed."

"Then set a course through the expanse."

"Aye, Captain." He turned to fulfill her order.

"Chakotay?"

"Yes?"

"…"

"Kathryn?"

She waved him off. "It's nothing. I'm going to check on Seven. Keep me updated."

He sighed as she headed to the door and followed her onto the bridge. "I'll be here if you change your mind."

"I know," Kathryn said with a smile.

* * *

The captain was delighted to see Seven, conscious and alert, in sickbay. In fact, she was trying to get dressed. "I assure you, Doctor, I am functioning adequately enough to perform my duties!"

"I'm the doctor here, young lady! I'll be the judge of that!"

Seven scoffed. "I have the cumulated knowledge of over a thousand species. My judgement is superior to yours."

The Doctor seethed. "You know you can't access the vast majority of that information! It would overload your cerebral cortex! Whereas I am programed with the collective knowledge and experience of every doctor in the history of the Federation and can access it whenever I want! I know what I'm talking about when I say you need to rest!"

The former drone glowered at her physician, but brightened when she saw Captain Janeway. At least until the captain agreed with the Doctor.

"Sorry, Seven, but I don't care if you're "functioning adequately enough." I need my crewmen to be 100%. You're staying put. That's an order."

She frowned with displeasure. "Yes, captain."

Janeway turned to the hologram. "How is she doing, really?"

The Doctor glared at Seven who began answering the question. She ceased her interruption with a sneer.

"My patient is doing fine. She'd be better if she stayed put," he added pointedly. "But her surgeries were a complete success. Thanks to the information on the PADD, she'll be completely recovered in no more than a week."

Seven was displeased. "I must remain confined to this room for an entire week?"

"I assure you, the thought doesn't exactly fill me with excitement." He rolled his eyes and took pity on the poor woman. "I'm sorry. I know you're not used to periods of idleness. I can clear you for light duty in two days. But you'll have to report back to me twice a day for maintenance and vitals! I need to make sure your new eye doesn't get rejected."

Seven smiled gratefully. "That is acceptable."

Captain Janeway laughed. "Glad to hear it. I'll bring you a few books to help occupy your time until then, okay?"

Seven nodded and sat down in the makeshift regeneration bed the Doctor had put together. With an audible click, she fell asleep.

* * *

It was after hours in the mess hall. Neelix was busily putting away the leftovers from the day and prepping his meals for tomorrow. He heard the doors swiff open and called out cheerily that he'd be there in just a minute.

Captain Janeway called back her acknowledgement and sat down. The captain only came in this late when there was something bothering her. She liked to have her coffee sweeter than usual, and with a sandwich of some kind to munch on. But on a day like today… Hmm… Ah! There was the perfect compliment to her pot of coffee! He was saving them for just such an occasion. Neelix set her snack on a serving tray and placed it before her with a flourish.

He was gratified by her delighted laugh. "Chocolate chip cookies! How do you always know exactly what I need, Mr Neelix?"

"What kind of moral officer would I be if I didn't, Captain?" He sat down and poured himself a cup. After years of serving it, he was beginning to like the stuff.

They sat in companionable silence for a bit before the captain spoke. "Were there people on Talax who were very religious?"

He shook his head. "Not like the people we met in the expanse, I'm happy to say. But some of us do believe in the Great Forest." Neelix went on to describe how in the forest there was the Guiding Tree where someone you love who's died will bring you to your ancestors. "They haven't caused many problems, except sometimes when we try to cut forests down for farming. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking about how my own people were once like the Zealots."

"Oh, I could hardly believe that, Captain!"

She smiled at his defense. "It's true. About seven hundred years ago, you could be burned at the stake for saying the Earth was round. But we've changed. At least, our beliefs have changed. There has always been some of us like the male Zealot, like Calamet. Ruthless and willing to do anything for their cause." Captain Janeway sipped her coffee. "Calamet left us a manifesto of sorts on the PADD containing Seven's alterations. It was his plan to kidnap Seven and mutilate her. He wanted to kill the woman he was working for and get away with it. All so he could practice what he called pure and true science. He said he wants to break his people free from the chains of dogma."

"It's a noble goal, captain, but the ends don't justify the means."

"No they don't. But Calamet's struggle reminds me of Earth's history."

"How so?"

"Once, my people made distinctions based on trivial things like skin color or gender. But we also waged the bloodiest wars based on a difference of religion." She laughed, humorlessly. "Even people who had the same religion were accused of heresy and killed for interpreting a holy book or dogma with the smallest of differences. And, like Calamet, some of us had no religion. Back then, society generally mistrusted people who thought differently. Some chose to hide their differences for fear of social reprisal. Or worse. Others felt it was more important to speak out against that injustice, and they were generally vilified for it."

Neelix frowned. That didn't make any sense to him. It was a stark contrast to the inclusive and welcoming humans he'd come to love. "What happened?"

The captain shrugged. "We don't know, exactly. Most of the records from that time were lost in the Eugenics War, then World War III. For whatever reason, instead of turning to religion and faith for guidance, my people turned to science."

"And you're wondering if humans resorted to cruel and violent methods like Calamet did to do it?"

She nodded. "Yes, I suppose I am. I've always romanticized that era. It was when we cast aside myths and embraced reason. We discovered warp drive, eradicated famine, war, poverty, everything but the most major illnesses in less than a century. But what if everything we've achieved was built because of terrorism and murder?"

Neelix considered this. "Captain, in my experience, the thing that matters most is what you do now. If there's one thing you've taught me, it's that everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them. And it seems to me that your people have! The humans here have been welcoming and kind to everyone! Even the Borg drone who tried to assimilate them!"

Janeway smiled at his exuberance, but didn't look convinced.

"Let me put it another way. I have worked very hard all this time to make sure I include holidays and rituals into my weekly schedules. I find it helps the crew with their homesickness when someone else remembers a holiday. Believe me, it would make my life easier if there was only one or two of them. But you humans are some of the most diverse, inclusive, tolerant, and wonderful beings I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Which means I have to remember the holidays for the half dozen or so Human religions being practiced onboard. Not to mention the Bajoran, Vulcan, Bolian, and Klingon holidays!"

"My point, captain, is that the possibility your people built their foundation on the backs of terrorists isn't as important as what your people did with that foundation. The ends don't justify the means, by any stretch. Talaxians were able to make peace among our religions without resorting to violence. But the means don't invalidate the ends either. You're a good people, captain. And I'm proud to serve on this ship."

"Thank you, Mr Neelix. We couldn't imagine making this trip without you." She smiled at him, but all too soon it waned. Captain Janeway stood up and walked towards the starboard view and watched as Voyager warped past the universe. "But have you ever heard of any structure that could stand with a bad foundation for long?"

Neelix didn't really have an answer for that. "Well, I…I suppose not. Goodnight, Captain."

Except, as he collected the coffee pot and dishes, he paused for a moment. "It's just, I can't speak about the rest of your people back in the Alpha Quadrant. But I know you. I know this crew. And I know that I never had a chance until I beamed aboard this ship. Oh, I'd have survived, yes. I've always been able to do that. But I never would have thrived. I wouldn't have been able to rescue Kes and had all those wonderful years with her if not for you. And you saved her people, the Ocompa, when letting them die would've meant getting home right away. Someone like the zealots and their apostates would never have made that sacrifice. This crew did. And they would do it again."

Neelix held the dishes up as if to say, there you have it. "That's what I think of when I think of humans, Captain."

And so he headed back to the galley and left the captain with her thoughts.

* * *

Star Trek: Voyager is the property of CBS Television. No infringement is intended. The plot for this story was derived from a proposal for the Voyager season 4 episode entitled, "The Raven," written by Bryan Fuller and Harry Kloor. For details, please visit the website Memory Alpha and search for that episode. The synopsis that inspired this story will be described by Mr Fuller under the episode's background information.


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